(ěr) — (bound form) bait; lure; (bound form) pastry; cakes; (bound form, literary) to entice; to lure

Definition

饵 is a literary/classical bound form meaning 'bait' or 'to lure, entice' (e.g. 诱饵, 以利饵之) — not used alone in modern speech. The 'pastry' sense is rare and historical.

bound form
baitlurepastrycakes(bound form, literary) to enticeto lure

Examples

  • Diào yú xū yào yú ěr.
    Fishing requires bait.
  • Tā yǐ jīn qián ěr zhī.
    He enticed him with money.
  • Zhè zhǒng bǐng ěr fēi cháng yǒu míng.
    This kind of pastry is very famous.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 餌; 饵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
shíto eat
Sound part声符shēngfú
ěrěr
Same sound today

The traditional form 餌 pairs 食 (to eat) with 耳, which gives the sound; 饵 is a simplified shorthand.

Appears in

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